2014 audi r8 Reviews and News

When you drive by someone's house in an Audi R8, the people in the front always smile. This happens even in Malibu, California, where people instinctively glare at Italian exotic cars, perhaps for fear that it might be some trashy Hollywood teen idol planning to move into the neighborhood.

We're here in Malibu to drive a few models of the 2014 R8. In fact, there's an entire array of 2014 Audi R8s awaiting us – every available R8 test car in America. It makes us feel like, well, some kind of teen idol with just a little too much cash in his pocket.

Bite-size candy treats
The 2014 R8s are lined up on the flagstones of the long driveway of this big house in the hills above Pacific Coast Highway. They're in every color, as if someone had spilled a very expensive bag of Skittles.

For the 2014 car, a slightly modified, hexagonal full-frame grille is flanked by full LED headlights. The outside mirrors of the R8 have been reshaped as well, and naturally there's a new range of available wheel styles. Around the back, you'll see LED taillights and round exhaust tips, plus an example of the new R8 badge.

Once you're in the driver's seat, you'll now find R8 badges on the doorsills, the shift lever, the optional, multi-functional sports steering wheel, the instrument cluster and even the start-up screen of the on-board electronic monitor. The interior has a more stylized appearance overall thanks to the use of more leather, more glossy black and more aluminum. And if you're willing to pay the price, the seats can be upholstered in diamond-stitched leather.

The V-8 and V-10 engines can be had in either the 2014 R8 coupe or 2014 R8 Spyder, while the high-performance V-10 comes only in the 2014 R8 V10 Plus coupe. The new, dual-clutch, seven-speed, Audi-designed (not Getrag, Ricardo or ZF), automated manual transmission can be matched with any of these engines. Audi engineers quietly believe that the new S-tronic gearbox shifts quicker than any of its rivals, and it helps speed the R8 V10 Plus coupe to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds, the R8 V10 coupe to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds, the R8 V10 Spyder to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds, the R8 coupe to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds and the R8 Spyder to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds.

It takes the R8 V10 Plus some 3.7 seconds to reach 60 mph with the six-speed manual transmission, and when you match up the other engine and body-style combinations with the six-speed manual, it takes 0.2 seconds longer to get to 60 mph than it does with the seven-speed S-tronic.

If you've got an R8 with the V10 Plus engine behind you, the car will be wearing carbon-ceramic brake rotors. The R8 and R8 V10 have steel brake rotors, although these rotors similarly feature a racing-type wave shape to reduce weight.

Just as important, you'll be carrying a little less weight with you in the 2014 R8 than before. The all-aluminum structure has some new components, plus there are the fiberglass-frame seats and less acoustic insulation, so the V-8-powered R8 coupe weighs 3583 pounds and the R8 Spyder weighs 3638 lbs, while the V-10 adds 154 pounds to these totals. The GT3-style V10 Plus weighs 3605 pounds, because it has manual-adjustment seats, a smaller fuel tank, lightweight wheels, carbon-ceramic brake rotors and carbon-fiber construction for the front aero splitter, rear aero diffuser, rear wing, and even the side-blade bodywork trim.

Choose your own adventure
If it's a sunny morning and you can see the Pacific Ocean from where you are, which all-wheel-drive Audi R8 should you be driving?

If you're going for a drive along Pacific Coast Highway, it'll be the $173,800 Audi R8 V10 Spyder with S-tronic. The top goes down in 19 seconds, plenty quick enough to get it down before the stoplight changes. And since people smile and even wave wherever you go, you never feel like you're showing off. The S-tronic makes the Spyder easy to drive even in traffic situations where you would otherwise fear for your fenders. These automated gearboxes have made all exotic cars practical to drive, and this is what has made the market explode for these cars, not performance.

Latigo Canyon usually would be the last place we'd take a car like the $114,900 Audi R8 coupe with a six-speed manual transmission. The climb to the low crest of the Santa Monica Mountains winds tortuously through narrow ravines, and it's better suited to a SuperMoto motorcycle than a 188-mph mid-engine supercar. Yet the broad powerband of the Audi V-8 works to your advantage, minimizing the shifts so you can concentrate on your hand discipline on the steering wheel and make smooth, direct moves through the tight, steeply cambered corners. The shift linkage of the six-speed manual seems typically German to us, combining long, low-effort throws with firm gear engagement. It works well, although there's a kind of plastic feel to it.

When you're at the wheel of the $179,645 Audi R8 V10 Plus with S-tronic, you want to have a good idea of where you're heading, so the gently winding curves of Mulholland Highway suit this car. There are some straightaways where you can get a sense of this car's 196-mph potential, but no top speed runs unless you want to fly off a cliff. It rides well, even though this is a sporting suspension calibration.

No matter which flavor you pick, the 2014 Audi R8 remains the most civilized and drivable of exotic cars. It's meant to be enjoyable, not intimidating. No wonder people smile at it wherever you go.

New For 2014

The updated 2014 Audi R8, which incorporated revised exterior lighting, new interior touches, and the implementation of a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, made its debut in early 2013. No further updates have been announced for the 2014 calendar year, and we doubt that any will be, since a second-generation R8 is expected to launch within two years.

Vehicle Summary

After years of teasing us with exotic concept cars, Audi finally entered the supercar market with the 2008 R8, which promptly earned both our Automobile of the Year and Design of the Year awards. Although its screaming V-8, all-wheel-drive traction, and astonishing looks won it praise, Audi still found room for improvement. A 5.2-liter V-10 was added to the range for 2010, followed by a droptop cabriolet. Although the R8 is now close to seven years old, the 2014 Audi R8 -- which, confusingly, went on sale earlier in 2013 -- was updated with a refined automatic transmission option, slick new headlamps, and some rather upscale interior appointments.

Overview

Few seven-year-old cars still look as fresh as the 2014 Audi R8. Yes, the sports car was face-lifted in early 2013 for the '14 model year, but the new headlamps, taillamps, and minor cosmetic details don't drastically change the R8's shape. That's a good thing, considering that the R8's slender curves and wide stance are a hallmark, if not a primary selling point.

The standard 430-hp, 4.2-liter V-8 is more than enough to blast the R8 coupe from 0 to 60 mph in a scant 4.2 seconds. If that's not quick enough, adding two cylinders, a liter of displacement, and $37,000 to the mix results in the R8 V10, which can make that same pass in 3.4 seconds before hitting a top speed of 196 mph. If that somehow still isn't quite quick enough, the new R8 V10 Plus, which replaces the defunct R8 GT, shaves a tenth of a second off of that time and can reach a top speed of 198 mph.

No matter the engine, transmission, or body style selected, the 2014 R8 is as usable and civilized in everyday use as it quick. The new S-tronic seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission is a far cry from the old herky-jerky semi-automated R-tronic transmission, especially in bumper-to-bumper traffic. The standard six-speed manual features fetching metal shift gates. The cabin is roomy enough for even tall adults, but cargo space -- both behind the seats and in the small trunk located in the nose -- is limited. The R8 is even happy enough to slum it in the Snow Belt, so long as you cap Quattro driveline with proper winter tires during the cold months.

It's easy to say that the 2014 Audi R8 offers exotic-car performance at half the price, but it also has to contend with the likes of the Porsche 911 GT3 and Turbo. Those cars might be just as quick and perhaps somewhat more engaging to drive, but rest assured: they don't turn heads and grab attention quite like the R8.

You'll like:

An exotic car at a surprisingly reasonable price

Fantastic styling

V-8's snarl, V-10's wail

You won't like:

Lacks the panache of other exotic bran

Limited cargo space

Inevitable comparisons to Porsche 911

Key Competitors

The Audi R8 supercar is set for a redesign sometime soon, but Audi is not quite done with the current car yet, as these spy photos indicate. Our photographers caught some sort of special R8 out in the wild that could hint at some sort of final edition model to send the outgoing R8 off with a bang.

Audi continues to stay on the cutting edge of lighting technology, with the announcement that the first production laser lighting system will come equipped as standard on the limited-run 2014 Audi R8 LMX. Powerful laser high-beams are combined with LED low-beams, mirroring the technology seen on the Audi R18 e-tron quattro race car and Sport Quattro Laserlight concept.

The 2014 Audi R8 V10 Plus proved itself in our most recent Standing Mile video, where it handily defeated the 2014 Jaguar XKR-S GT. Yet the 550-hp supercar was equally impressive on its own. We tested the R8 on a 2.2-mile runway for the ultimate high-speed thrill.

Germany and England both bring 550 hp to the table with the 2014 Audi R8 V10 Plus and the 2014 Jaguar XKR-S GT. We know that each vehicle represents the highest-performing example of its respective model range, but the question remains—which earns bragging rights in our Standing Mile test?

It appears that Austrian thrill-seeker Felix Baumgartner, the same man who leapt 24 miles from space toward Earth as a stunt in 2012, found a new way to get his adrenaline fix. Baumgartner, 44, will kick off his racing career behind the wheel of an Audi R8 LMS Ultra as part of Audi’s race experience team.

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